East High Boarding School?
by twishyfishy
Summary: How will homeschooled Gabriella Montez adjust to her new boarding school life? Troy x Gabriella Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

In her seventeen years of existence, Gabriella Montez had already lived in twenty-four cities in fifteen states. Her mother was a successful author who liked to go to different places constantly to get inspiration, and Gabriella, being an adventurous and artistic person herself, was more than happy to accompany her wherever she went. She was homeschooled most of the time so that she wouldn't have trouble keeping up with her studies, being on the road so much and all, so she was a bit lacking in social skills. She'd never had a best friend, let alone a boyfriend, but it didn't bother her. She was happy just being with her mother and living life day to day. But when her grandmother in Albequerque had insisted she needed a more stable environment to grow up in, Gabriella had reluctantly agreed to move in with her and attend East High Boarding School for her senior year. She wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of attending a snooty school where they forced everyone to wear uniforms, but she was willing to suck up her apprehensions because her mother promised to buy her a new car if she stuck with it.

She'd arrived in Albequerque two weeks before the start of classes and in that time, she had accomplished all her admission requirements and gotten her uniforms fitted. It was now the last Sunday of summer vacation and Gabriella was loading the things she was taking to her dorm, into the trunk of her beat up gold Camry. Just as she shut the trunk, her grandmother walked toward her with a glass of iced tea in her hand and smiled. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here another night? Classes don't start until Monday, dear," she said, handing her the cool, frosty glass.

"I know, grandma, but I want to get there a day ahead so I can familiarize myself with the campus," Gabriella said, sipping the iced tea and wiping her lips on the back of her hand. "I mean, I don't want to get lost on my first day."

Her grandmother sighed and nodded. "Okay, dear, but promise me you'll visit at least once a month when school starts, all right?" she said, kissing her forehead and stroking her cheek.

"I promise, grandma. I'll visit you every weekend," Gabriella said, draining her glass and smiling at her grandmother.

"You won't be saying that once you've made friends and are having a blast," her grandmother said, smiling. "I remember how high school was."

Gabriella looked at her toes and forced herself to smile, but inside she was scared out of her mind. She wouldn't know anyone at her new school, so she was pretty anxious about her first day. She also hasn't attended a real school in four years so she didn't know what it would be like to be in an actual high school. She just hoped the students there weren't stuck up, spoiled snobs, but fat chance of that since she knew boarding schools usually catered to the offspring of upper crust power couples. In any case, she would walk into this just being herself. She wasn't the kind of person who cared about what other people thought of her anyway. She'd always sort of just marched to the beat of her own drummer.

"Gabriella?" her grandmother said, gently waving her hand in her face. "Are you all right, dear?"

Gabriella snapped out of it and smiled at her grandmother. "Yes, grandma. I'm fine," she said, handing her the empty glass in her hands. "But I should probably get going. I want to get there before 1 pm."

Her grandmother smiled and nodded. "Well, goodbye, dear. Have fun and take care of yourself," she said, hugging her granddaughter and and kissing her forehead. "I love you very much, dear."

Gabriella smiled. "I love you too, grandma. I'll call you as soon as I've settled in," she said, getting into the car and starting up the engine. She pulled out of the driveway and honked her horn as she pulled away from the house. She watched her grandmother's waving figure gradually disappear from the rearview mirror and sighed. This was it. There was no turning back. 


	2. Chapter 2

Time passed quickly once Gabriella Montez arrived at her dorm room in East High Boarding School. She'd only had time enough to unpack and walk around campus for a bit before she returned to her room and turned in for the night.

The following morning, she was woken up as the alarm clock she'd placed beside her pillow started beeping in her ear. She grunted and turned on her back before she switched it off and slowly opened her eyes. She would have to learn to get used to waking up at 6 am. Who starts classes at 7 am anyway? It was practically indecent. But Gabriella's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a small cough from the bathroom door. She sat up and saw a petite brunette smiling at her. "Hi. I'm Kelsi Nielsen. I guess I'm your roommate," she said, approaching her and holding out her hand. "You're new, aren't you?"

Gabriella had completely forgotten about her roommate. She was probably so zoned out last night that she hadn't even felt her arrive. "Yes. I'm Gabriella Montez," she said, shaking Kelsi's hand and smiling sleepily. "Wow. You're already dressed."

"Yeah, well, I'm actually headed down to the music room since I have to conduct the school band for this morning's opening ceremonies," Kelsi said, smiling and organizing some sheet music in her bag.

"You're a musician?" Gabriella asked, getting out of bed and grinning at her.

"Sort of. But I'm more of a composer than an actual performer," Kelsi said, smiling shyly.

"Cool. Maybe I can listen to some of your songs sometime," Gabriella said, grabbing her towel from the closet and smiling at her.

"Okay. That'd be great," Kelsi said, smiling and slinging her bag over her shoulders. "Oh, I really have to go. I'll see you around, Gabriella." She smiled at her again then left the room, locking the door behind her.

Gabriella proceeded to shower then dried herself off thoroughly with a towel. She hastily got dressed and examined her reflection in the mirror. The uniform actually didn't look half bad. It was just a black blazer, and a black dress shirt tucked into a black and red plaid skirt that went to her thigh. She wasn't crazy about the red tie and black knee high socks, but she could live with them. She was just glad the school was airconditioned otherwise she'd probably overheat, wearing a jacket and long sleeved shirt in the hot Albequerque weather.

Gabriella did a final wardrobe and make up check before she picked up her book bag and strolled out of her room. She walked down the hallway and made her way to the main building where the general assembly was going to be held. She silently observed the student body as she wove her way around hugging arms and beaming faces. A few people had curiously glanced in her direction, obviously intrigued by the newest face to grace their school halls. A few of them even smiled at her, and she had smiled back at them all. When she finally reached the assembly hall, she took an aisle seat where the seniors were designated. She looked around nervously then smiled when she saw Kelsi up on stage with the orchestra.

"So you're the new kid," said a shrill voice over Gabriella's shoulder.

She looked up and saw a skinny blonde girl with the poofiest hair she'd ever seen, and a pale blond boy who was wearing a black fedora with his uniform. She caught herself staring, then cleared her throat. "Sorry?" she asked quizzically. "I didn't catch that."

"You're Kelsi's rommate, right? The new kid?" the blond boy said, smiling at her.

"Uh, yeah. Gabriella Montez," she answered, smiling at him and shaking his hand.

"Ryan Evans, Kelsi's boyfriend," he said, tipping his hat. "This is my twin sister, Sharpay."

Gabriella smiled at her, but the blonde girl just wrinkled her nose at her. "Whatever. Ryan, have you seen Troy yet?" Sharpay asked, standing on tiptoe and scanning the room.

"Probably avoiding you," Ryan mumbled, sighing and rolling his eyes.

"What was that?" Sharpay asked, too distracted to hear him.

"Nothing, Shar. Let's go look for him," Ryan said, holding her elbow and steering her away. "Nice to meet you, Gabriella."

"You too, Ryan," Gabriella said, smiling at him and thinking how strange his sister seemed. Oh well. At least she'd already met three people at East High. She was hoping to at least meet everyone in her grade by the end of the day. She glanced up at Kelsi again and tried to focus as the band started playing and the assembly started. 


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, thanks for the comments, everyone! They are much appreciated especially since this is my first attempt at an FF. Rest assured I will do my best to publish a chapter at least once a day so hold on to your hats!

Once Headmaster Dave Matsui had dismissed the assembly, the students of East High Boarding School began making their way to their respective homeroom classes. Gabriella Montez pulled out her class schedule and double checked where her classroom would be. Unlike the previous schools she had attended, East High did not require their students to change classrooms every period. Each class would be assigned a permanent classroom where their teachers would attend to them.

Gabriella successfully located her classroom on the third floor of the main building and proceeded to find her assigned seat. She could feel her classmates' eyes on her as she wove her way through the ten desks arranged in a U-shape, and was relieved when she finally located her name the second desk at the far side of the room.

"Hey, Gabriella. Looks like we'll be sitting together," Kelsi said, smiling at her from the seat next to Gabriella's.

Gabriella smiled. She was glad she would be able to sit next to someone she already knew. "Hey, Kelsi. Great job at the assembly earlier," she said, sitting down and crossing her legs. "The band sounded great."

"Thanks. Hey, have you met Taylor?" Kelsi asked, gesturing to the dark-skinned girl sitting on Gabriella's left side.

"Taylor McKessie," she said, holding out her hand and smiling. "Welcome to East High."

"Thanks. Gabriella Montez," said Gabriella, shaking Taylor's hand and smiling. "It's good to be here."

Taylor smiled. Just then, their homeroom adviser, Miss Darbus, entered the room. "Good morning, class, and welcome back to East High," she said in a lofty, high-pitched voice. With her bejewelled glasses and sparkling shawls, Gabriella thought she looked like a big, shiny beetle. "I know most of you aren't quite ready to jump back into the world of the academe yet, so today, we will be taking things slow."

Miss Darbus sat on a plush single sofa on the teacher's platform and took out a piece of paper from her folder. "First, let me check your attendance. Zeke Baylor?" she called out.

"Here," answered a dark-skinned boy who sat across from Kelsi.

"Troy Bolton?" continued Miss Darbus.

"Present," said the sandy-haired boy sitting across from Gabriella. She looked up at the boy and was surprised she hadn't seen him earlier. He was lean and tan, and had eyes so blue, you'd swear you were looking at the sparkling ocean. He was positively gorgeous. As Gabriella watched him run his fingers through the ends of his shaggy hair, she was beginning to feel like attending boarding school was a good idea after all.

"Montez? Gabriella Montez?" said Miss Darbus, looking up from her attendance sheet.

Hearing her name called out snapped Gabriella back to reality. "Present!" she nearly shouted in surprise. Sharpay Evans, who was seated two seats away from her, snickered loudly, and made Gabriella feel like a prize idiot. She pursed her lips and looked straight ahead, trying to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks. She locked eyes with Troy Bolton for a second, and he flashed her a gleaming smile. Gabriella's eyes widened in shock, but she did her best to return a smile. Troy chuckled a little then smiled at her again.

Miss Darbus finished calling attendance then turned to Gabriella. "Miss Montez, seeing as you are new to East High Boarding School this year, would you mind coming to the front and telling us a little about yourself?"

Gabriella nodded then walked to the platform and stood next to Miss Darbus' chair. All eyes were now on her, and she couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious. "Hi, my name is Gabriella Montez," she started, rubbing her hands together nervously. "I just moved here from Salinas, California two weeks ago. And until recently, I was homeschooled."

"Oh great, that means she's a freak," Sharpay muttered, snickering.

"That will do, Miss Evans," Miss Darbus said, holding her hand out to silence Sharpay. "Well, I hope you find that East High suits you, Miss Montez. And I trust that everyone will do their best to help you make an easy transition into boarding school living." She smiled at Gabriella then gestured for her to take her seat.

Gabriella smiled then made herself comfortable in her seat. She shot a sideways glance at Sharpay Evans and made a mental note not to get herself involved in such childish behavior.

Homeroom and her first class, American Literature, passed by pretty quickly mainly because Gabriella quite enjoyed reading. Her second class, Trigonometry, proved to be quite a challenge though. It wasn't that she couldn't understand the class, but she just wasn't interested in working with numbers all that much. Still, she was glad to be seated next to Taylor McKessie, who she had learned was the head of almost all the Academic Clubs in the school and was President of the Student Council. Taylor was outgoing and had assured Gabriella that she would help her cope with the curriculum at East High. Her first day had been mostly a long, tiring blur so she was glad when four o'clock rolled around and it was time for her final class, Astronomy.

Miss Angus introduced herself at the start of the class and announced that they would be working in pairs for the rest of the semester. "You will be making a chart of the night sky which will be submitted as your final project for this class so please do a good job of it. It will count as 40% of your grade," she said, writing down the details on the whiteboard. Afterwards, she looked down the class roster and said,"All pairs will be co-ed, and will be assigned alphabetically for the gentlemen and unalphabetically for the ladies." When the students just stared at her, she sighed and continued. "For example, that means the first boy on the list will be partnered with the last girl on the list. So that means Mister Baylor, you will be working with Miss Nielsen."

Kelsi smiled at Zeke and he walked over and stood beside her. "Mister Bolton, your partner will be Miss Montez," said Miss Angus.

Gabriella's heart leapt. Troy Bolton smiled at her and gestured to the seat beside him. She stood up, got her things and occupied Zeke's now empty seat.

"Hi. Gabriella, right?" Troy asked, smiling at her. "I'm Troy. I don't think we've officially met yet."

Gabriella smiled and shook his hand. They might not have met yet until then, but she had already heard a lot of rumors about Troy Bolton during recess and lunch. Evidently, he was the school's basketball star and trophy boy. She had instantly developed a crush on him and had been keen to ask Kelsi and Taylor everything they knew about him. At first they'd laughed at her for falling under his spell so quickly, but at the same time, they couldn't blame her. He was gorgeous, after all, and a nice guy to boot.

Troy smiled at her and leaned in closer. "So what do you think of this Astronomy project?" he asked, leaning his elbow against her desk. "Think it'll be fun?"

"I think so, yeah," Gabriella said, her breath catching in her throat a bit from being so nervous. He was sitting so close to her that it was making her dizzy. He smelled amazing and each breath was getting Gabriella more and more intoxicated. "If we're going to be charting the stars, though, we'll probably have to do a lot of the work at night," she said, trying not to sound too excited at the prospect of seeing him everynight.

Troy chuckled. "I don't think I'd mind that too much," he said, winking.

Gabriella giggled nervously. She wasn't sure exactly what Troy meant, but she was eager to find it out. She heard a huffing sound from somewhere in the back and looked up to see Sharpay Evans glaring at her.

Troy Bolton followed her line of sight and saw what she was looking at. "Sharpay giving you a hard time?" he whispered, shaking his head and laughing lightly.

Gabriella giggled. "Sort of. I don't know what her problem is, though. She's been like that since her brother introduced us this morning at assembly," she said, shrugging.

"Don't worry. She's harmless. She just lacks certain social skills," Troy said, laughing a little louder this time.

"I wouldn't mind a little help in that department. Homeschooling hasn't exactly made me a soial butterfly," Gabriella said, laughing.

"Well, the boys' dorm is throwing an open house tonight to celebrate the official end of summer. You should swing by and try out your social skills," Troy said, pulling out a flyer for the party and chuckling.

Gabriella giggled and put it in her bag. "Okay. You can count me in, Troy," she said, beaming at him.

Troy grinned. "Awesome," he said. Just then the bell rang, indicating the end of last period. "Listen, I gotta run to basketball practice, but I'll see you later, all right? Party starts at 9 down at the boys' dorm. Don't forget," he said, gathering up his things and standing up. He started to make his way toward the door then stopped and turned around. "Gabriella?" he said.

"Yeah?" Gabriella said, spinning around and looking at him.

"I think I'm gonna like Astronomy class," Troy said, flashing her a smirk and finally leaving the room.

Gabriella grinned widely. She packed up her bag and made her way back to her dorm room, grinning from ear to ear the entire time. 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there! I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I've been having problems with my internet connection, and I couldn't login to FF for some reason. Anyway, I hope things go much smoother for the future chapters I'm working on. Enjoy!

"Jeez, would you just chill out, Gabriella?" Kelsi said, rolling her eyes playfully at her roommate. She was seated in front of her vanity, putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She looked stunning."It's just a party. There's absolutely no reason for you to be freaking out right now."

Gabriella sighed. "I just want to make sure I'm doing this right," she said, examining her reflection in the mirror carefully. She was wearing a fitted denim miniskirt and a flowy white spaghetti strap top. She wore a gold chain with a butterfly pendant around her neck and had slipped on a pair of gold sandals. Her hair was down because she loved how her natural curls looked. She thought she looked amazing, but she wasn't sure if her outfit looked right. She'd never attended a high school party before so she was pretty clueless about how they worked. "Are you sure I look okay, Kels?"

"Yes, Gabriella. You look gorgeous, and you know it," Kelsi said, standing next to her and smiling. "Troy is going to flip his lid when he sees you."

Gabriella smiled. She knew it was foolish of her to think that Troy inviting her to the party tonight was anything other than a friendly gesture, but she couldn't help herself, not after what Troy said at the end of the class. "_I think I'm gonna like Astronomy class_," were his exact words. Innocent enough, yes, but the smirk he gave her when he said it was anything but. Gabriella's cheeks flushed red just thinking about him smirk.

"Earth to Gabi!" called Kelsi, snapping her fingers in front of Gabriella's eyes.

Gabriella snapped back to reality. "What?" she said, confused.

Kelsi giggled. "I said, It's 9:30. Are you ready to head to the boys' dorms?" she asked, smirking at her smugly.

Gabriella blushed furiously and nodded. "Yeah. It's now or never, right?" she asked, putting her cellphone in her pocket and fluffing her hair one last time.

"Yep," said Kelsi. She looped her arm through Gabriella's and led her out the door and toward the boys' dormitories.

"Welcome to the party, ladies!" said a dark-skinned boy with a shaggy afro Gabriella recognized from her class. "Chad Danforth. You're the new kid, right?" he asked, smiling at her.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. "It's Gabriella. Gabriella Montez," she said, shaking his hand. She wondered when her classmates would stop calling her The New Kid.

"Welcome to East High, Gabriella. Come on in. The party's just getting started," Chad said, handing plastic cups of punch to her and Kelsi.

Gabriella smiled and sipped the punch. It was fruity and refreshing, but she could taste a slight bitterness which she knew meant it was spiked with alcohol. "Thanks, Chad. See you around," she said, smiling at him again and leading Kelsi into the party.

"Seen Ryan yet?" Kelsi asked, sipping her punch and scanning the room.

"There he is over by the snack table," Gabriella said, grinning at her widely. "Go on. I'll be fine."

Kelsi grinned and kissed her cheek. "See you later," she said, touching her arm and walking toward her boyfriend.

Gabriella smiled at her as she walked away. She and Ryan made a lovely couple. She took another sip from her drink and looked around the room, hoping to see someone she knew. This almost seemed impossible though since it looked as if the entire East High student body was crammed inside this tiny space.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't make it," whispered a husky voice in her ear.

Gabriella spun around and saw a beautiful pair of electric blue eyes gazing into her chestnut brown ones. Troy Bolton was standing in front of her, wearing a white V-neck shirt, black leather jacket, and dark denim skinny jeans, and grinning from ear to ear. Her face flushed almost immediately. She smiled and gripped her cup a little tighter. "I thought I'd give my social skills a test tonight," she said, pushing her hair behind her ear nervously.

Troy chuckled. "Good. It would have been a shame if you'd missed the party tonight," he said, moving closer and smiling at her. "You look great, by the way."

Gabriella smiled nervously. She couldn't believe how close he was to her. She could almost feel his breath tickle her face. "Th-thanks again for inviting me," she mumbled, mentally willing herself to calm down.

"No problem," Troy said, smiling widely and taking a sip from his cup. "So, Gabriella, where did you say you were from again?"

"Everywhere," Gabriella said, laughing. "My mom is a writer so we tended to move a lot for her work. That's why she decided to homeschool me. She thought it might be difficult for me to cope with schoolwork if I had to attend a different one every semester."

"So why are you at East High now?" Troy asked, raising his eyebrow curiously.

"My grandma wanted me to grow up in a 'stable environment', so she enrolled me in a boarding school," Gabriella replied.

"But why East High? I'm pretty sure there are other much better boarding schools in the country," Troy said, draining his cup and setting it on a table.

"Would you rather I attended there?" Gabriella asked, giggling. She couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to him. She usually had difficulty making a connection with people because they thought she was weird.

"I never said that," Troy said, touching the back of his neck and chuckling. "East High is the perfect choice for you."

Gabriella giggled. "Actually, my grandmother lives here in Albuquerque. She wanted me to study someplace nearby so she could keep tabs on me. Don't want your grandkid causing too much trouble," she said, laughing.

Troy laughed. "Somehow, I just don't see you causing a lot of trouble, Gabriella Montez," he said, smiling at her widely.

Gabriella giggled. "That remains to be seen, Troy Bolton," she said, winking playfully.

Troy smirked. "All right. The noob has a wild side," he said, nodding his head in approval.

"Ugh. Enough with the 'new kid' stuff," Gabriella said, shaking her head. "Like it's not hard enough to try and fit it?"

Troy chuckled. "Whoa, I struck a nerve there. Sorry," he said, smiling at her apologetically. "Gabriella."

Gabriella smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it, Troy."

Troy smiled. "It's getting kind of loud in here," he said, looking around at all the people dancing.

"Now that you mention it…" Gabriella said, giggling.

"You wanna get outta here?" Troy asked her.

"And go where?" Gabriella asked.

"Into town. You hungry?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. What is there to eat around here?" Gabriella asked, smiling.

"Loads, but I know a great burger joint a couple of miles from here," Troy said, smiling at her.

"Okay. Let's head out," she said, draining her cup and throwing it away. Troy held out his arm, and Gabriella held onto it as he wove them through the partygoers, occasionally acknowledging a friend and introducing them to her. When he'd finally managed to lead them out of the boys' dormitory, he walked with her down the hall and out to the student parking lot. "I hope you don't mind riding with the top down," he said, unlocking his Audi R8 convertible and opening the passenger side door for her.

"Not at all," Gabriella said, getting in the car and smiling. She hadn't noticed it when she arrived on Sunday, but looking around the parking lot now, she realized that almost all the cars there were either sports cars or convertibles. Her beat up old Camry looked a sight next to all the gleaming surfaces of the newer makes. Her theory about boarding school kids being rich and spoiled was slowly proving to be true. "Nice car."

"Thanks. You drive?" Troy asked, shutting her door and making his way to the driver's seat.

"Yeah, but my car's nowhere near as awesome as yours," Gabriella said, giggling.

Troy chuckled. "Yeah, it's pretty neat. My dad bought it for me on my sixteenth birthday," he said, fastening his seatbelt and smiling.

"Sweet deal. All I got was my mom's old Camry," Gabriella said, giggling.

"Hey, a ride's a ride," Troy said, grinning at her and chuckling. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Gabriella said, fastening her seatbelt and smiling at him.

Troy smiled. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove them to the burger place.

"Two bacon cheeseburgers, two large rootbeers and a large order of chili fries?" asked the waiter, setting the food on the table.

"Yes. Thank you," Troy said, acknowledging him and grinning at Gabriella. "Dig in!"

Gabriella giggled. She picked up the cheeseburger and took a huge bite. She had been so nervous about meeting Troy at the party that night that she completely forgot to eat dinner beforehand. Now she was feeling really hungry, and didn't care if she looked like a pig in front of Troy. "That hit the spot," she said when she swallowed the food. "And this place looks awesome."

"Yeah, I've been coming here since I was a kid," Troy said, picking up some chili fries and shoving them in his mouth.

"So you're really from Albuquerque?" Gabriella asked, licking some cheese from her fingers and smiling.

"Born and raised," Troy said, smiling. "By the way, you never did tell me where _you're _from."

"Salinas, California," Gabriella said, smiling. "That's where I was born, and that's where my mom and I most recently lived."

"Wow, California. I'd give anything to live there," Troy said, resting his chin in his palm and smiling dreamily. "What is it like there?"

"It's amazing. The beaches alone are reason enough to visit," Gabriella said, grinning widely. "It's actually close enough to visit on a weekend trip if you don't mind driving."

"Really? I've always meant to visit, but I haven't had the time yet," Troy said, taking a sip from his rootbeer.

"You really should. It's amazing there," Gabriella said, grinning widely.

Troy smiled. "So what about Albuquerque? How do you like it so far?" he asked, leaning in closer.

"I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive about moving here at first," Gabriella said, twirling her hair in her fingers nervously.

"How come?" Troy asked, moving even closer.

"Well, I haven't been to a real school since I was like, thirteen, so I was pretty scared," Gabriella said, shrugging. "I didn't really know what to expect."

"Well, what do you think of it now?" Troy asked, smiling.

"It's too early to tell, but I'm liking it so far," Gabriella said, smiling at him.

Troy smiled. He inched his hand closer to hers on the table and brushed his fingers against hers.

Gabriella blushed furiously. She withdrew her hand nervously and looked down at the table.

"Is there something wrong, Gabriella?" Troy whispered, lifting her chin with his fingers and smiling at her.

Gabriella looked into his eyes and shook her head nervously. "I just... I dunno," she mumbled, fiddling with her fingers and giggling uncertainly.

Troy chuckled. "You really weren't kidding when you said you needed help with socializing, were you?" he whispered, gazing into her eyes and smiling.

Gabriella's face flushed a deep crimson. Having him look at her like that was making her stomach churn in a way it never has before. Was this the 'butterflies in the stomach' feeling she'd read about in books? She wasn't quite sure, but she did know for sure that she liked it. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even hear what Troy said.

"Gabriella?" Troy whispered, leaning in closer.

"Y-yeah?" she breathed, clenching her fists and digging her fingers into her palms nervously.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching across the table again and holding her hand,

"Yeah," Gabriella said, her voice shaky and small. She closed her fingers over his tightly and squeezed. "Uhm, it's getting kind of late..."

Troy smiled and nodded. "Let's head out then," he said, leaving their payment on the table and leading her back to the car. He drove them back to school and walked her back to the girls' dormitory.

"This is me," Gabriella said, walking up to her door and smiling at him. "Thanks for the great night, Troy. I had a lot of fun."

"I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable. You know, back at the burger place?" Troy asked, smiling at her sincerely.

Gabriella shook her head and smiled. "It's fine, Troy. Don't worry about it," she said, touching his shoulder.

Troy smiled. "Well, good night," he said, shifting tentatively, unsure if he could hug her or not.

"Good night, Troy," Gabriella said, giving him a quick hug and kissing his cheek. She smiled at him and went inside her room.

Troy grinned widely. He touched his cheek and walked happily up to his room.


	5. Chapter 5

"So what, are you two dating now?" Kelsi asked, grinning at her roommate widely. She, Gabriella and Taylor McKessie were huddled together in their classroom and were catching up on the previous night's gossip before the bell rang and Miss Darbus arrived. Gabriella had filled them in on what happened when she and Troy left the party to eat in town, and the pair could not have been happier for her.

"I don't know," Gabriella said, frowning to herself. "I mean, we only went out to eat. It's not like it was an official date-type thing anyway."

"All dates are official… whether the boy knows it or not," Taylor said, giggling.

"And you said he held your hand. That's gotta mean something, right?" Kelsi asked, looking at Taylor. "You don't just go around holding people's hands."

"Definitely," interjected Taylor. "I, for one, am glad that Troy is finally taking an interest in dating."

"What do you mean, finally?" Gabriella asked, wrinkling her nose inquisitively.

"Well, it's always just been basketball twenty-four, seven with him. I think the guy could stand to have some fun," Taylor said, shrugging.

"And who better to have fun with than Gabriella!" Kelsi said, giggling furiously. The three girls erupted into a fit of giggles.

"Did I miss something?" said a voice from the doorway.

The three of them turned to see who it was and saw that it was Ryan Evans, Kelsi's boyfriend. "Hey, Ryan," Kelsi said, holding her hand out to him and smiling. "No, just girl talk."

Ryan smiled and shook his head. "Then I must be interrupting," he said, touching his chest apologetically.

"Not at all. Come sit with us for a few minutes," Gabriella said, smiling at him.

Ryan smiled. He walked over to them and sat on Kelsi's desk. "What did you think of the party last night? Pretty cool, huh?" he asked.

"Ask Gabriella," Taylor mumbled, smirking at her smugly.

Gabriella's eyes widened. She nudged Taylor with her elbow playfully and giggled again.

"Okay, I am definitely missing something," Ryan said, draping his arm over Kelsi's shoulders and chuckling. Just then, the bell for first period rang so Ryan returned to his proper seat and the three girls got their things ready for homeroom. The rest of their classmates also entered the room and Miss Darbus followed shortly after.

"Good morning, class," Miss Darbus said, sitting in her chair and smiling at them all. "I trust you all are much more prepared for school now than yesterday. Miss Montez, how are you finding East High's curriculum so far?"

Gabriella jumped in surprise that Miss Darbus had addressed her. "Uhm, I think I'm doing okay, Miss Darbus. I mean, it's only the second day of classes," she said, smiling. Troy chuckled from the seat across her, and flashed her a grin. Gabriella smiled back at him and looked back up at their teacher.

"Very good, Miss Montez. I do hope you get to enjoy your time with us, and please do not hesitate to approach me if you need any help with anything. That is what I am here for," Miss Darbus said, smiling at her.

Gabriella nodded and smiled. "Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate it," she said, then looked back across at Troy. He grinned at her and mouthed "Hi."

Sharpay Evans watched jealously as Troy and Gabriella exchanged flirtatious glances all throughout first and second period so when their third period art class rolled around, she decided to take the opportunity to confront Gabriella about it.

"Gabriella," she said, approaching her and crossing her arms. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay. What's up?" Gabriella asked, walking with her to the art room and smiling.

"Look, I think it's sweet how you've developed a crush on Troy Bolton," Sharpay began, pursing her lips. "But if you knew what was good for you, you'd keep your distance from him."

"Excuse me?" Gabriella said, confused. "What are you talking about, Sharpay?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I saw how you were flirting with him earlier. Well, don't, okay? Troy Bolton is mine," Sharpay said, glaring at her and walking to her art station.

Gabriella stared after her, confused. Was Sharpay really with Troy Bolton? And if so, why did he take her out to dinner last night? Was he just being nice? She sat down at her art station and tried to concentrate as Mister Simpson began his lecture.

Troy sat at the art station beside hers and noticed how distracted she looked. "Hey, what's wrong?" he wrote on a piece of paper and passed to her.

Gabriella read the words and sighed. "I need to ask you something… See you at recess?" she wrote then passed back to him.

Troy read the note and nodded his head at her. He put the piece of paper in his pocket and closed his fist around it. Gabriella needed to talk to him. He would have been excited about it if it weren't for the worried look on her face. After what seemed like the longest hour in the world, the bell for recess finally rang and Troy and Gabriella hung back in the art room to talk.

"Hey. So you wanted to talk?" Troy asked, pulling his chair closer to hers and leaning against the desk. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at him. "Just that, I'm a little confused," she started, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "I mean, I had a great time last night with you, Troy. It was really nice of you to invite me to the party then take me out for burgers afterward."

"But…?" Troy said, frowning slightly.

"But then you held my hand," Gabriella said, sighing. "And that made me think last night might have been more than just a friendly gesture."

"It was," Troy said, moving his hand closer to hers again.

"And that's what confuses me," Gabriella said, tucking her hands inside her pockets and looking down at her feet. "Because I don't want to hold hands with someone else's boyfriend."

"What are you talking about, Gabriella?" Troy asked, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow. "What do you mean someone else's boyfriend?"

"Well, Sharpay came to talk to me at the beginning of art and said that I should stay away from you," Gabriella said, tapping her foot against her stool's leg. "Because you were hers."

Troy sighed and touched her arm. "Gabriella?" he whispered, stroking her shoulder softly. She looked up at him and bit her bottom lip nervously. "I am in no way, shape, or form, Sharpay Evans' property. She is not my girlfriend, and I am not her boyfriend."

"But she said you were hers, Troy. I don't want any trouble…" Gabriella mumbled, turning red and frowning slightly.

"You won't get into trouble, Gabriella," Troy whispered, caressing her cheek softly and smiling at her. "I'm a big boy. I can do what I want. And _you're_ a big girl, and you can do what _you_ want."

Gabriella leaned her face against his hand and smiled. His touch was warm and comforting. "Okay," she said, placing her hand over his and squeezing it.

Troy smiled. "You wanna grab something to eat?" he asked, picking up her things and standing up.

Gabriella nodded. "Sounds good to me, Troy," she said, holding her hand out.

Troy grinned widely. He held her hand and walked to the dining hall with her.


	6. Chapter 6

During the next three weeks, Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton's relationship had escalated from friendship to boyfriend-girlfriend status. They always sat together during lunch and spent every free minute at school together. But because of their demanding school work, Troy's basketball practice with the East High Wildcats, and Gabriella's study sessions with Taylor McKessie, they hadn't been able to go out since their burger date, so when Troy suggested they just have a study date this weekend, Gabriella was thrilled.

"That's perfect. We need to start working on our Astronomy project anyway," Gabriella said, grinning widely.

"Yeah. Plus I really want to spend some time with you," Troy said, lacing their fingers together and grinning.

Gabriella giggled. "We can study in my room. Kelsi's staying with the Evanses this weekend," she said, moving closer. She and Troy had only held hands and kissed once or twice during the course of their relationship, so Gabriella was looking forward to having their physical relationship progress this weekend. Sure she was inexperienced, but that didn't mean she wasn't willing to learn. She was only human, after all.

Troy grinned excitedly. "Okay. Let me just change out of my uniform, and I'll meet you there," he said, kissing her cheek and walking to his room.

Gabriella grinned widely. She practically ran up to her dorm room and pulled off her uniform. She changed into a white tank top, yellow shorts and pulled on a white cropped cardigan. She spritzed perfume on her neck and wrists for good measure then sat on the bed and laid out her assignments. There was a knock on the door so she said,"Come in."

Troy walked into the room wearing low riding denim jeans and a white t-shirt with red three-quarter length sleeves. Gabriella could see the top of his boxers peeking from his pants, and a faint outline of his muscles from underneath the thin material of his shirt. Her face flushed furiously just thinking about it.

"Hey, Brie," Troy said, shutting the door and smiling at her. He walked to the bed then set his books on the floor and sat next to her. "Studying already?"

"No. Just getting my stuff ready," Gabriella said, moving closer to him and smiling. "And, Brie?" she asked.

"Just a nickname I thought up for you," Troy said, draping his arm across her shoulders and smiling. "Do you like it?"

"Yeah. I think it's great," Gabriella said, grinning widely and leaning against him.

Troy smiled. He pulled her closer and smelled her hair. He didn't know what it was about her, but he just wanted to be near her all the time. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, smell her, but he didn't know if she would be into that. He liked her a lot so he didn't want to scare her.

"What's on your mind?" Gabriella asked, looking up at him and caressing his cheek.

"Nothing," Troy said, kissing her nose and smiling at her. "So what about me? Aren't you going to give me a special nickname?" he asked.

"What did you have in mind?" Gabriella asked, sitting on her knees and facing him.

"I don't know. Something cool that only you can call me," Troy said, putting his hands on her waist and smiling at her.

"Hmmm," Gabriella said, placing her hands on his shoulders and looking into his eyes. "How about Wildcat?"

"Wildcat?" Troy asked, chuckling and pulling her closer between his legs.

"Yeah. I think it suits you. You are the Wildcat Superstar, after all," Gabriella said, caressing his shoulders and smiling at him.

Troy grinned widely and embraced her. "Okay. I think Wildcat sounds awesome," he whispered, looking up at her.

Gabriella smiled. She loved the way he looked at her, like he could see only her. She leaned down and pressed her lips against his softly.

Troy let out a soft moan and pulled her closer. He set her on his lap and kissed her passionately.

Gabriella moaned softly. She squeezed his right arm and deepened the kiss.

Troy moaned loudly, and placed his hand behind her head and pulled her closer. He parted his lips and grazed his tongue against her lips hesitantly.

Gabriella pulled away, blushing furiously.

"Sorry. Too fast?" Troy whispered, caressing her cheek softly and smiling at her.

"No, it's not that, Troy," Gabriella said, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. "It's just…"

"What is it, Brie? You can tell me," Troy whispered, leaning in closer and smiling.

"I just… I don't know how to… You know," Gabriella whispered, blushing furiously. "Could you teach me?"

Troy's face brightened in understanding. "You mean, teach you how to kiss?" he asked, stroking her hand and smiling at her.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

Troy grinned widely. "Okay. Uhm, so where do you want to start?" he asked.

"The part with the tongue," Gabriella said, turning redder. "I mean, I know what they do in movies, but I've never tried it before."

Troy chuckled and nodded. "Okay. So when I lick your lips," he began, suddenly blushing from embarrassment when he heard the words come from his lips. "Uhm, just part your lips and I'll, uhm. I'll stick my tongue in your mouth."

Gabriella nodded. "And what comes after that?" she asked, getting into a comfortable position.

"I think it's better if I show you, than tell you," Troy said, caressing her arm softly and smiling. "Are you ready?"

Gabriella smiled and nodded. She leaned in closer and began kissing him softly on the lips. Troy moaned loudly. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. His arms wrapped around her waist tightly as he licked the partition of her lips, silently begging for entrance. She parted her lips and drew his tongue into her mouth. She moaned loudly at the sensation of feeling his tongue against hers for the first time. It sent tingles down her spine, causing her to arch her back and press her chest into his. He tasted good, and she couldn't get enough of him so she bit his tongue playfully in want. Troy groaned loudly at this and lifted his hips, pressing up against her longingly.

Gabriella smirked into the kiss and pulled away, panting. "Wow, that was," she whispered, trying to catch her breath and tossing her head back in satisfaction.

"Amazing," Troy whispered, smirking slyly and squeezing her hips. "You're a fast learner."

Gabriella giggled furiously. "Not really. Just eager to learn," she whispered, moving her hands up and down his chest slowly. She carefully traced the contours of his pecs with her fingers and familiarized herself with the firm muscles. "You work out?" she whispered, moving her hands lower and feeling up his abs. They were rock hard, and made the butterflies in her stomach flutter madly.

"Just weights and basketball," he whispered, closing his eyes and smiling dreamily. The sensation of her fingers on his muscles was driving him crazy, even if they were separated by the thin material of his t-shirt. He imagined her moving her hands lower, down to where all the blood in his system was currently concentrated. He shifted his hips uncomfortably, trying to relieve the bulge building up in his jeans.

"Troy?" Gabriella whispered, gripping his biceps tightly.

"Yeah, Brie?" he answered, pulling her closer and pressing her body against his.

"You wanna take your shirt off?" she whispered, fiddling with the edges of his t-shirt and grazing her fingers over his bare skin. His temperature had risen and Gabriella could sense the change in his breathing pattern.

Troy's eyes shot open and he smirked at her. "Do you want me to?" he whispered, caressing her lower back sensuously.

Gabriella nodded. "I want to see you, Wildcat," she whispered, turning to face him properly and straddling his lap. She felt his erection press up her butt. It made her blush a little, but she kind of liked the fact that he had it because of her.

Troy smirked then pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the other side of the bed. "Better?" he whispered, caressing her arms sensuously.

"Much," she whispered, placing her hands on his chest and rubbing his muscles. They were so well-defined, and Gabriella could tell he worked out a lot. The sight of his half-naked body was getting her hot and bothered, so she leaned in close and planted her lips over his. They started kissing passionately as Gabriella felt up every bit of his exposed skin with her fingers. She traced the crevices of his abs with her nails as she sucked on his tongue longingly.

Troy groaned loudly and hungrily drew her tongue into his mouth. He sucked and nibbled on it passionately as he slid his hands low on her back and inside her shirt, savoring the feeling of her soft skin underneath his rougher hands. He wanted nothing more than to slide his hands higher over her breasts, but he wasn't sure if Gabriella was ready for that yet. After all, they only just started to get physical today. He didn't want to scare her off. He also had his throbbing erection to worry about, but he could take care of that by himself later. Right now, he was just going to enjoy the newfound intimacy he was experiencing with his girlfriend.

Gabriella pulled away slightly to catch her breath. "I love your abs, baby," she whispered in his ear. She caressed his abs teasingly then leaned in closer and kissed the base of his neck. This caused Troy to let out a loud, low growl. Gabriella smirked. "You liked that, huh?" she whispered, kissing the base of his neck again and applying a gentle sucking motion. She pressed up against him and dug her nails into his back as she nibbled on his neck.

Troy moaned loudly and dug his fingers into her hips. "That feels amazing, babe," he whispered, closing his eyes and rolling his head back. "But I think you should stop."

"Why? I thought you said it was amazing," she whispered, planting hot, wet kisses up his neck and nibbling gently on the area where it meets his jaw.

"I-it is, Brie," Troy breathed, trying to ignore the ache of his strained erection welling up in his jeans. "I just… I don't know if I can control myself if you," he whispered, moaning hotly as she bit down on his shoulder and squeezed his biceps. "If you k-keep doing that…" He forced his eyes open and gazed into his girlfriend's usually chestnut brown eyes, but which were now darkened with desire. He held her face in his palms and kissed her softly on the lips. "I hope you understand, Brie."

Gabriella sighed and nodded. She knew that Troy wanted her to stop not because he wasn't enjoying himself, but because he was enjoying himself too much. The hard mound pressing up her butt was evidence enough of that. She knew she should be thankful that her boyfriend wasn't pressuring her into doing anything she wasn't ready for yet, but she secretly wished Troy would be a little more aggressive.

"Are you okay, Brie?" Troy asked, caressing her cheeks gently with his thumbs.

"Yes," she answered, giving him a peck on the lips and smiling. "What about you? Are you gonna be okay?" she asked, glancing down at his erection and smiling sheepishly.

Troy chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Brie. I'll live," he said, brushing his fingers across her cheek again and smiling. He looked into the deep brown pools of her eyes and thought about how much he enjoyed spending time with her. She wasn't like other girls at their school, that's for sure. But what exactly made her special to him, he couldn't explain. She just was.

"What's on your mind, Wildcat?" Gabriella asked, sliding off his lap and cuddling up to him.

"Just thinking, baby," answered Troy, wrapping his arms around her tightly and kissing her forehead. "So, you want to get started on our homework?" he asked, smiling.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. "Okay," she said, grabbing her books and a pen. "But on one condition, Wildcat."

"What?" asked Troy, quirking his eyebrow.

"The shirt? It stays off," Gabriella said, grabbing it and giggling furiously.

Troy smirked and nodded. As he pulled his work materials out of his bag, he couldn't help congratulating himself for being able to get a girlfriend as wonderful as Gabriella Montez.

It was ten o'clock on Saturday morning, and Gabriella Montez woke up to the sight of her amazingly handsome boyfriend sleeping next to her on the bed. They had been up until the wee hours of the morning working on their calculus assignment, and had just drifted off when their weary minds couldn't take it anymore. His t-shirt was still off, but he had the blankets wrapped around himself tightly to keep himself warm. His face was screwed up into a goofy smile, and Gabriella wondered what he was dreaming about. He looked so content that she didn't want to wake him up, but she was hungry and wanted to go down to the dining hall for breakfast. "Troy?" she whispered, sitting up and caressing his cheek gently.

Troy grunted in his sleep. He leaned his face against her warm hand and smiled dreamily.

Gabriella giggled. He was just too adorable sometimes. "Wakey-wakey, Wildcat," she whispered, leaning down and pressing her lips into his gently.

Troy moaned softly and opened his eyes. He pulled away, grinned widely and kissed her nose. "Good morning, Brie," he whispered, rubbing his eyes sleepily and covering his mouth when he yawned. "What time is it?"

"Just past ten o'clock," she said, glancing over at the wall clock on the far side of the room. "You want to get something to eat? I'm kind of starving," she said, giggling.

Troy chuckled. "Sure thing, babe. Let me just wash my face," he said, standing up and walking to the bathroom. He walked to the sink and splashed some cold water on his face, closing his eyes as he let the cool sensation wake him up. "Baby, can I have some of your mouthwash?" he called, taking a bottle of Listerine from the medicine cabinet.

"Help yourself, baby," answered Gabriella, sitting down in front of the vanity and combing her hair.

Troy opened the bottle and swished some mouthwash around between his teeth. Then he gargled with water and wiped his face with her towel. He turned to walk back to her room when he noticed something odd about his reflection. He moved closer to the mirror and examined his back and neck carefully. He saw faint red lines going down from his shoulder to his rib cage and wondered where they came from. There were also pale purple marks around his jaw and neck. He tried to remember if he'd gotten them during basketball practice, but suddenly remembered the events that transpired the previous night. Troy understood that they must have been given to him by Gabriella in a moment of passion. Smirking to himself, he strutted out of the bathroom and came up to his girlfriend. "You owe me some first aid, Montez," he said smugly.

"What?" Gabriella asked, turning to look at him with her eyebrow arched. "Troy, what are you talking about?"

"This," he said, turning around and showing her his back. "And this," he said, pointing to the purple bruises on his neck and jaw.

Gabriella gasped. There were thin red marks going down his back and the purple spots on his neck, and knew at once where they came from and how he got them. "Oh, Troy. I am so sorry," she said, tracing her fingers over them and biting her bottom lip guiltily. "Do they hurt?" she asked.

"No. It doesn't hurt one bit," Troy said, facing her again and placing his hands on her hips. "And don't be sorry, Brie. I think it's kind of sexy, you marking me like this," he whispered, smirking at her slyly.

Gabriella blushed furiously and felt her cheeks flare up. "Troy, don't be silly," she said, trying to pull away from him, but to no avail. He had wrapped his arms around her waist tightly and pulled her closer. "You're not getting away that easily, Montez," he whispered, embracing her tightly and pressing his lips against hers. Gabriella moaned softly. She kissed him passionately and did her best to pull away. "Troy… Breakfast?" she whispered, running her hands down his biceps and smiling at him. "We can kiss later, Wildcat."

Troy chuckled and let her go. "Okay, okay, but I'm holding you to that, Brie," he said, giving her another quick peck on the lips and pulling his t-shirt on.

Gabriella giggled. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. As she examined her reflection, she could hardly believe she was capable of giving someone a hickey, let alone two! Still, she was somehow proud of the woman she was developing into. One month ago, she would never even have dreamed of kissing a boy and now, she was happily dating one of the most amazing people she'd ever met. She rinsed her mouth out one last time then wiped her face dry on the towel. She stepped out of the bathroom and smiled at Troy. "Let's go, Wildcat," she said, smiling at him.

Troy stood up then took her hand and laced their fingers together. He led her out of her bedroom and walked with her down to the dining hall.


	7. Chapter 7

It was the third week of October, and Gabriella Montez was happily well-adjusted to East High Boarding School, primarily because Troy Bolton, her boyfriend of almost two months, had made sure she was accepted into his group of friends at school. She knew she would have made her own friends at some point at East High, but she was grateful for the efforts Troy had put into making her feel welcome with his clique. Presently, he was sitting in the bleachers of the school's indoor basketball court with her friends Kelsi Nielsen, Taylor McKessie, and Martha Cox, who had been introduced to her when she joined the school newspaper as a literary editor. The girls were all preoccupied with paperwork while the boys, Troy, his best friend Chad Danforth, Jason Cross, and Zeke Baylor were noisily playing basketball. Gabriella looked up wearily from the stack of submitted poetry she was editing when a loud thump sounded beside her.

"Ow!" exclaimed Taylor, touching her throbbing temple. "What the…?" she mumbled, looking from the basketball that hit her head, now bouncing lazily on the floor at her feet, to the guilty faces of the boys standing underneath the basket. "Okay, which of you was it?"

Troy, Jason, and Zeke had all put a hand on Chad's back and gently nudged him forward. His face flushed and he gulped loudly. "S-sorry, Taylor," he said, looking down and staring at his shoes.

Taylor shook her head and picked up the basketball. "I think it's time you boys took a water break," she said, lightly tossing the ball back to Chad. He nodded nervously and gestured the other boys to the bleachers. "Sorry again," he said, patting Taylor on the shoulder and lightly squeezing it. She shrugged and gave him a small smile which he returned.

Troy walked past his best friend and made his way to Gabriella who had began perusing her papers again. "Hey, Brie," he said, settling down on the spot next to her and looking over her shoulder. "Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"Finalizing some edits for the newspaper," Gabriella said, scribbling corrections on a poem she was reading. She furrowed her brow and wrote "NEEDS MORE WORK" on the top right corner of the paper.

"Sounds like fun," Troy said, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders and nuzzling her neck. _God, she smells so good_, he thought to himself.

"Baby, you're all sticky with sweat," Gabriella said, giggling as his floppy brown hair tickled her neck. She tried to squirm away from him, but he only wrapped his arms around her tighter. "Troy!" she exclaimed, giggling furiously as he buried his face deeper into the crook of her neck, and his hands tickled her sides playfully.

"Say you're sorry for hurting my feelings," Troy said, laughing playfully as he roamed his hands all over her sides.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Gabriella screeched, doubling over in laughter and falling to the floor. "Ack!" she exclaimed, tugging on Troy's jersey and pulling him to the floor on top of her. Gabriella wrapped her arms around him tightly and joined her friends who were laughing at the pair of them.

Troy laughed too, then settled his weight on his shoulders and pecked on Gabriella's lips. He smiled at her then stood up and helped her to her feet. "Sorry about that, Brie," he said, grinning innocently.

Gabriella giggled and smoothed her hands over her skirt. "It's okay, baby," she said, standing on tiptoe and kissing him again.

"_Barf_," said Chad, poking his best friend in the ribs and chuckling.

"Go away," Troy mumbled, wrapping his arms around her waist and keeping his lips planted firmly on hers. She smiled into the kiss and slid her hands up his chest and around his neck.

"Gladly. I don't wanna watch this anymore," Chad said, gathering his things and prompting everyone else to leave with him. "Bye, loverboy!" he exclaimed before running out of the gym and closing the door behind him.

Gabriella moaned softly into his mouth and traced her tongue across his lips languidly. "I missed you," she whispered, sucking and nibbling on his bottom lip while pressing up against him. After their heated encounter in her room four weeks ago, Troy and Gabriella's physical relationship had progressed significantly. They'd moved past just kissing, and were now beginning to explore each other a little more boldly. Gabriella had allowed Troy to see and touch her topless, and Troy's pants rarely stayed off the floor when they were alone together. But with basketball season fast approaching, Troy was hardly ever outside the gym anymore. Coach Bolton, his father, had been drilling the team every single afternoon for the past two weeks, and it was driving Gabriella crazy.

"I missed you too," Troy whispered, parting his lips and slipping his tongue into her mouth. He groaned longingly as he basked in the taste he'd been craving all week. He rolled his tongue around her mouth passionately and moved his hands low on her back, sliding slowly to her ass and squeezing it.

Gabriella gasped and pulled away, giggling. "I wish you didn't always have basketball practice," she whispered, twining her fingers around the hairs at his nape and pouting. "We've hardly spent any time together since September."

"I'm here now, baby. You have me all weekend cause my dad's taking my mom to Hawaii for their anniversary," Troy said, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand and smiling at her.

Gabriella's face perked up. "Good because I really did miss you," she said, embracing him tightly and kissing him again.

Troy grinned widely. "What do you say I take a shower and we can have dinner, huh?" he asked.

"Love to," Gabriella said, grinning at him and gathering her things. Troy carried her stuff for her then laced their fingers together and led her back to the dorms.

After having a quick dinner in the school dining room, Troy held Gabriella's hand and walked with her to her room. "Is Kelsi staying here this weekend?" he asked, sitting on her bed.

"Yeah. She and Ryan are going to be working on the Winter Musical," Gabriella said, sitting beside him and kicking her shoes off. "Why?"

"I was hoping we could be alone this weekend," Troy said, biting his bottom lip and frowning.

"Well, I can't very well kick out my roomie, can I?" Gabriella said, sitting on her knees and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well, my parents are going to be away the entire weekend. We can go hang out at my house," Troy said, placing his hands on her hips and smiling.

Gabriella bit her lip, thinking. On one hand, she really wanted to spend some alone time with Troy. She was a teenager, after all, and she had hormones. On the other, she wasn't sure just how far she would go knowing they would be completely alone and uninterrupted. In the end, her hormones beat out her good sense and she nodded in agreement. "Should I pack a bag?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah. We can come back on Sunday night," Troy said, grinning excitedly. He was looking forward to the alone time they would be spending this weekend, and was hoping that their physical relationship would progress more. But though his hormones might be going crazy, he knew he would have to control himself if Gabriella wasn't ready. He didn't want to pressure her, and respected her too much to force her into doing anything she didn't want to.

"Babe?" Gabriella said, waving her hand in front of Troy, who came out of his daze instantly. "I'm ready to go," she said, grinning.

Troy smiled and held her hand. "Let's go, babe," he said, leading her to his car and driving to his house. Something told him tonight would be one for the books.

**I'm so sorry it took me MONTHS to update, but I got so caught up with work that I had no time to write. I will however post several updates in the next three days so stay tuned!**


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